He was a celebrity pastor at one of Canada’s biggest megachurches. Inside the sexual abuse allegations that brought down Bruxy Cavey’s career, an investigation by Star Vancouver’s Investigative Team found that while the church was built on the idea of building ‘better people,’ its leader was also an offender.
The church’s leader
Bruxy Cavey was a powerful leader in the church of Christ. Photo: Submitted
Bruxy Cavey (b. 1971), now 52, was a celebrity pastor of a large international megachurch.
He came to the church at a young age, when he was still a teenager, and grew up in a middle-class home in Prince George, British Columbia, where he attended high-school to meet the expectations of his parents. He felt drawn to the ‘new’ church he found through church youth groups, where he became familiar with leaders like Darryl McManus and Dave Wilkins. He was also a member of church youth groups.
He attended school with Mark Wiebe, the youngest of six siblings, who became a pastor after graduating from high school. One of his brothers is also a pastor.
While the family lived in Prince George, they moved to Kelowna when he was in ninth grade.
By then, Bruxy’s father had purchased a large lot on Highway 97 in Kelowna that he used to grow marijuana. He spent the winter of his junior year in Kelowna, smoking the drugs in the yard of their home.
‘I was a pretty normal kid in my early high school years,’ he told the Star. ‘My senior year was the same as every other high school freshman. I never had a girlfriend, I never had a problem with drugs or alcohol — I was always active in sports. That year I was in a couple of school plays. I had a little bit of a rebellious style of life.’